Improvement in bee-hives



J. L. REID.

Bee Hive.

Patented Aug. 12, 1862.

In'ventar':

With/es see:

- joint and also holds it in place.

NlTE STATES JAMES L. REID. or

.VANW'ERT, onio,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3. EM dated August 12, 1862.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES L. Rnny'of Van Wert, in the county of Van Wert and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bee-I-Iives; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of refer,- enee marked thereon.

My invention consists of a peculiar construc- I tion and arrangement of heehives.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved bee-hive,

the top being raised on one side to show the honey-boxes, and the outerwall of one side being removed to show the position ofthe obspace between this glass and the board or outer wall, which is removed as above mentioned. The double walls render the hive warmer in winter and cooler in summer, and also pre- -vent dampness of the bee-apartment from rain or snow when these are blown against the hive. These walls also prevent congclation of the vapor from the breath of the bees.

' The roof -H is made removable, it being provided with a ledge, which gives it a secure The upper, portion, S, of the walls forms a sort of hoop, l, inclosing the honey-boxes. This hoop also has ledges dropping over the edges of the lower walls, and it is removable like the roof. When this hoop I is in place, it is fastened by the rear end board which covers the obscrvingglass. The board enters a notch, E, and then it is sprung tightly into place and the lower edge secured by a button, G, thus fastening the different parts together by a single button. With this construction of joints the roof and walls may shrink or swell by the weather without affecting the joints.

At the upper part of the bes'apartment are ar'angcd triangular comb-bars L, Fig. 2, fitting into mil-responding notches, which prcventthe hairs from working. Each of these bars may he removed independently of the others. From experience I find these COIllb-blllS better than the commonframes, as the bees are liable with such frames to build their comb so as to connect two or more of the frames, and thus prevent them from being removed separately. Also, with the frames, if the combs are warped, (as is often the case,) one of the combs cannot be .removed alone; but withthe single bars the bees are not likely to build two combs together and there is no obstruction in removing the combs singly.

The bee-entrance is provided with an adjustable metallic slide, M, secured inplace by small screws. This slide serves as a dronetrap. When the season arrives in which it is desirable to get rid of the drones, this slide M wing, and thus shut out the drones, while the working-bees are permitted to enter the hive.

clustered at the entigance of the hive, and they maybe swept into water,and thus destroyed. Mycombined moth and robber trap and ventilator is placed at the bottom of. the beeapartment. lique screen, N, is set so as to co'verasmall box, 0, extending over the entire bottom of the bee-apartment. are too small to let a bee pass. The door 1?, Fig. 3, of this trap is very wide, andwhen open the moths will collect in the trap, as'they de-. light to lay their eggs among the comb-cuttings which fall through the screen all over the bottom of the trap, furnishing food for the moth larvae. When collected in the trap, the moths, with their eggs, may be easily destroyed. By removing the honey-boxesK and leaving the door 1? open the hive will be completely ventilated without producing too strong a draft of air through the hive. As ventilation is most important in winter, when the bees are confined to the hive, the removal of the honeyboxes (as-above mentioned) does not-interfere with their proper use, and the ventilation at this season does not prevent the use of the are required. The v entilation carries the moisture (produced by the breath of the bees) may be lowered while the drones are onthe Then in the evening the drones will be found It is arranged as follows: An ob- The meshes of this screen moth and robber trap at the season when they 2 same to close the slideor'door M when robbers attack the hive. Then the robbers are compelled to seek an unusual entrance (as they usually do) in order to avoid the sentinel at the common entrance. 1 v

With my arrangement of honey-boxes there is no sliding the boxes, which would be liable to crush the bees. The roof and the hoop I may be removed and the bees gently driven from the top, when the honey-boxes are adjusted and the hoop I andlroof replaced.

My hive is very convenient, cheap, and durable. It is well adapted to hiving new swarms of bees or to making artificial swarms by division. filth that falls to the bottom of the moth-trap, but also of any undesirable combs.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Lettcrs Patent of the'United States, is-- 1. The combined moth and robber trap and ventilator, Fig. 3, constructed and applied in the manner and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination of the moth and robber trap and ventilator with a hive construetec substantially asset forth.

JAMES L. REID.

It is easily'eleaned, not only of the 

